The blue-haired demon snorted as another one muttered, “Good luck.”
“What about Raphael?” I asked. “Maybe weapons and strength can’t take it down, but his ability to wield life would.”
“It would,” Corson agreed. “But if we send Caim for him, what if they somehow end up missing each other?”
“But he could already be on his way.” I refused to give up hope the golden angel might arrive in time to kill this thing they believed was invincible.
“He could, but I think we’re going to have to deal with this on our own,” Corson said.
I refused to let my trepidation and disappointment show as I switched the focus to something else. “What is the barrier?”
“Part of the minotaur’s labyrinth,” Bale said. “It uses its power to keep us locked into what I guess you could call its holding pen. Its weaved its magic all over this town and that mountain like a spider creating a web to trap a fly.”
“And we walked right into its web,” Lix said.
Hawk clasped my hand and squeezed it in his. “And we will destroy it.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Hawk
The wooden steps creaked as I followed Randy and Aisling up the set of dusty stairs to the top floor of the hotel. Randy had said this building offered one of the best views of the mountain.
“We don’t sleep here,” Randy said. “We stay in the library. It’s big enough to house all of us in one room, and even if it doesn’t help stop the minotaur, we all feel safer together. We leave the building when it comes down from the mountain. We used to stay in the school, but when we refused to come out, it tore the building apart so, to keep our shelter, we go outside to face it.”
When Aisling glanced at me, I saw the terror in her eyes before she turned away. I briefly rested my hand over hers on the railing before she climbed further up. I ground my teeth as I watched the stiff set of her back and shoulders; she shouldn’t be here, but neither should anyone else.
Somehow, I would get her out of this mess.
“Have you tried spreading out through the town and hiding from it?” Aisling asked.
“Once. It only destroyed more buildings on the other side of town until it uncovered who it was hunting. Having to look for us excited it more,” Randy said.
“There has to be a way to stop it.”
“There is,” I said. “It just hasn’t been discovered yet, but we’ll find it.”
At the top of the stairs, Randy turned left. I fell into step beside Aisling as he led us down a hall of closed doors. “These are all rooms,” Randy said as he waved at the doors. “But the mattresses were removed from them awhile ago. Most of them are in the library now.”
“How long has the minotaur been doing this?” Aisling asked.
“Probably since it escaped Hell,” I said.
She bit her bottom lip. “That’s a lot of victims over a year.”
“Too many,” Randy said as he opened the door at the end of the hall and stepped back to let us enter.
A scarred brown bureau stood against the wall on my right, and a dusty blue throw rug lay in the middle of the room. Dust caked the TV mounted to the wall across from the bed frame for a queen-sized bed. A musty smell permeated the room.
Striding across the room, I pulled back the red curtain covering the window to reveal the mountain. The entrance was about twelve feet tall and six feet wide. I didn’t know if it was that big when this place was a working mine or if the minotaur made it larger.
Aisling came to stand beside me, and, unable to resist, I rested my hand on the small of her back as I drew her closer. Inhaling her sweet scent, I let it wash over and relax me as I studied the shadows of the entrance before turning my attention to the town.
Three streets away, a row of toppled buildings blocked the road, and on the next street, only part of a brick building remained standing while the rest of the bricks littered the ground. That must have been some of the buildings they tried hiding in and the school. A few streets further away from the school was another row of toppled buildings, and I suspected they’d tried to hide from the minotaur on more than one occasion.
“What did you use to blow up the entrance of the mine?” I asked Randy.
“There was a demon here who could make things vibrate enough that he brought the rocks down. The minotaur has taken him since then.”
“What do you do for water and food?” I asked.
“Animals sometimes cross the barrier,” Randy said. “There were a couple of crab apple trees, but the apples have gone now, so we rely on the animals. I don’t think anyone has lived here long enough to be concerned by the lack of variety and nutrients. Wraiths also find their way beneath the barrier, and the demons feed on them.”
“And water?” Aisling asked.
“There’s a well by the library and a couple more behind some of the homes. We pull water from them and store it in the library, restaurant, and a few other places in case something happens to the wells.”
“That’s good,” Aisling said. “Can we get closer to the mountain?”
Randy shifted beside me as he glanced uneasily at her. “You can, but it won’t do you any good. There’s nothing to see there either; unless you plan to enter.”
“Maybe that’s not such a bad idea,” she said, and I felt like someone kicked me in the chest. “It’s not expecting its victims to venture in there willingly. We could turn the tables on it.”
“You want to go in there willingly?” Randy asked.
“No, but if staying in this town and fighting it isn’t working, then maybe it’s time to try something new.”
“It would kill us all.”
“Would it? Or would some of us get away before it found us?”
Randy closed his mouth as he turned his attention back to the cave. Her idea wasn’t entirely insane, but I couldn’t stand the thought of her entering that cave.
“Oliver has already lost so much,” Randy said.
A shiver ran through Aisling, and she rubbed her arms. “We can’t let it take him,” she murmured so low I didn’t think Randy heard her.
On the street below, Bale, Corson, Lix, and Wren strode into view with Nadine and some of the others from the restaurant. Nadine carried Oliver as they walked toward a two-story brick building spreading across three lots.
When they stopped at the bottom of the stairs, Nadine pointed toward the mountain before they climbed the steps. Over the front doors was a black sign with the word library etched with gold lettering onto it. The double glass doors opened before they reached them, and they disappeared inside.
“I think the minotaur knows who it’s going to take before it comes into the town,” Randy said.
“What makes you say that?” I asked.
He placed the tip of his index finger against the glass as he pointed at the town. “That toppled wood building over there.”
There were so many of them that I couldn’t be sure which one he meant, but I still asked, “What about it?”
“Oliver’s mom stayed inside with him. It bypassed all of us to get at her. Thankfully, Nadine remained inside to help her with Ollie, and she was able to get him out, but that thing wanted her, and there was nothing we could do to stop it.”
When Aisling shuddered, I wrapped my arm around her waist and drew her close. “I’m going to keep you safe,” I vowed.
She rested her hand on my chest as she leaned against me.
“How do you know when it’s coming?” I asked Randy.
“You’ll learn it’s impossible not to know,” he said. “Come on, we should meet up with the others.”
I remained where I was as I tried to process everything we learned since entering this town. There had to be some way to kill the minotaur, but we couldn’t learn its weaknesses without seeing it first, and I did not want it in this town and near Aisling.
However, if the people in this town were right, it didn’t sound like it had any weaknesses. They couldn’
t be right; everything had a vulnerability.
* * *
Hawk
Stepping into the shadowy interior of the library, I took in the mattresses spread across the floor, the rows of shelves, tables, and the front desk to my left. At least twenty people and demons were scattered throughout the room. Some of them sat on mattresses with their shoulders slumped forward and a dejected air about them, while others prowled the place like they were about to tear it apart.
The scent of old, musty books brought me back to my childhood and the time before the war when my mom took my sisters and me to the library every week. While they did story hour, I roamed the shelves and picked out books to read.
When I finished, I’d return to sit at the edge of story hour and listen while I waited. Sometimes, I’d watch the delight on my sisters’ faces as the librarian made strange faces and used silly voices. Sherry loved this the most. She’d scream and cover her face with her hands or squeal with excitement while she laughed. Her blonde hair bounced against her shoulders while her blue eyes sparkled with amusement.
An unexpected ache filled my chest, and I rubbed the place over my heart. The memory was so vivid I felt like I could touch her, but Sherry had traveled far beyond my reach.
“How many are here?” I asked Randy.
“Including your group, there’s thirty-seven of us.”
“Thirty-seven against one.”
“It’s not that easy,” Randy said and smiled when Nadine walked over with Oliver in her arms.
“Nothing ever is,” I said.
Oliver stuck his thumb in his mouth as he rested his head on Nadine’s shoulder. The strange blend of having seen too much and innocence in his eyes reminded me so much of Judy. I couldn’t save Judy, but I would save him and Aisling.
Across the room, I spotted Corson and Bale standing by the front desk as they talked to a giant demon with maroon skin and green eyes. I clasped Aisling’s elbow before slipping my fingers into hers and starting toward Corson and Bale.
She fell into step beside me as we strode across the room. On our way, I spotted Wren and Lix standing near the card catalog and going through a pile of weapons stacked beside it. My step faltered as I took in the hundreds of knives, swords, guns, spears, and various other deadly instruments.
Those weapons once belonged to the demons and humans who entered this town and never left. Seeing them piled there was like seeing a mound of their bones as this was all that remained of them.
Aisling’s hand went to her mouth. “Oh.”
Her delicate beauty stole my breath as she looked between me and the weapons and back again. Drawing her closer, I released her hand to clasp her cheeks in my palms and lowered my forehead to rest it against hers. Her warm breath tickled my lips as she stared at me.
“We’re going to be okay,” I assured her.
Her hands gripped my wrists. “We are.”
I kissed the tip of her nose before reluctantly releasing her and stepping away. Her hand caught mine, and she detoured from Bale and Corson to join Lix and Wren at the pile. To the left of the pile and card catalog was a row of tables with computers spread out across it. Dust covered the machines, and a few of the tables had been pushed aside to make room for the growing mound of weapons.
Wren lifted a throwing star into the air before releasing it. It clattered as it fell on top of the other weapons and tumbled down the side. “Obviously these weapons were useless for their past owners.”
“Or they didn’t know how to use them,” Lix said as he hefted a spear and tapped the end of it against the floor. The metal tip gleamed in the light from the floor-to-ceiling windows across the room.
“Did you ever see the minotaur?” I asked Lix.
“No. It was before my time,” he replied. “And I never went down to the seals to look at it.”
Wren lifted a set of brass knuckles before tossing them back on the pile. “We can choose any weapon we want.”
Since becoming a demon, I’d tried to rely on my natural defenses more than human weapons. Canagh demons didn’t have some of the more physical defenses other demons had, like Corson’s talons or Aisling’s fire, but I was fast and strong, and my kiss could make someone a mindless sex slave. However, I didn’t see the minotaur bending down to let me kiss it or walking under some mistletoe anytime soon.
This pile made my fingers itch for some of those weapons, and I suspected my natural defenses wouldn’t do much against this beast. Then again, these weapons were useless against it too.
“Bullets don’t work against it.” I looked up as a man walked over to stand before Aisling, who held a rifle. “They barely slow it.”
Aisling stopped inspecting the gun to study the man. “But they do slow it?”
“Most weapons are useless against it, but some have made it bleed. I can show you what works best against it.”
When the man’s gaze ran leisurely over her, I growled as I stepped closer to Aisling and rested my hand on the small of her back. I leveled the man with a look that made his eyes widen, and he took a staggering step back.
“You can show me what works best against it,” I told him.
The man blinked at me as he started stuttering. “I, uh… yeah… well…” He glanced at his watch. “I forgot I have guard duty. It was nice to meet you.”
The man hurried away so fast he tripped over a mattress and nearly fell on his face. He glanced back at us before righting himself and rushing down the stairs to the front doors.
“Marking your territory?” Aisling asked.
I rested my fingers against my bite on her neck. “I already have, but humans aren’t as aware of it as demons.”
“I am still my own person.”
I stiffened as my hand fell from her neck. Wren and Lix lowered their weapons to the pile and glanced around the library before wandering away to join Bale and Corson.
“Were you interested in him?” I demanded.
“Not at all, and this has nothing to do with any nonexistent interest in another.” She shoved the rifle into my chest. “I’m not a thing to be claimed.”
“You’ve claimed me too,” I reminded her.
“And if someone started flirting with you, and I got all pissy about it, what would you do?”
I smiled as I clasped her wrist and moved her arm behind her, pinning it to the small of her back. Dropping my lips to her ear, I whispered, “Anytime you want to stake your claim on me and get all pissy about it, feel free to do so. I’ll enjoy it.”
When she leaned back to look at me, I hated the uncertainty in her eyes.
“I’m yours, Aisling; I always will be.”
Her mouth parted, and her eyes fell to my lips. Her need blasted against my skin; I’d give anything to make her happy and to taste her, but I couldn’t give her this. I would never let what happened to Sarah happen to Aisling.
She sagged against me, and I kissed the top of her head before resting my cheek against her silken hair. “I wish I could give you everything you need,” I whispered, “but I can’t.”
She lifted her head and kissed my chin. “I have everything I need.” Then she glanced around. “Except freedom.”
“We’re going to get that too.”
“Damn right, we are.”
When she stepped away from me, I released her. I started to turn away when her voice stopped me, “I’m yours too, Hawk.”
I grinned at her, but she was already admiring a wicked-looking machete. Still, I couldn’t stop smiling as I walked over to Corson and Bale.
“Did you talk to Caim?” I asked them.
“Yes,” Bale said. “He’s going to try to find Raphael or a way to get him here sooner.”
“Good,” I said as I glanced around the library. “Hopefully we won’t need him.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Aisling
Nestled within Hawk’s arms, I listened to the muffled sounds of the others as they tossed and turned in their sleep or snored. The moonlight spi
lling through the floor-to-ceiling windows only ten feet away from us was the only source of illumination in the library, but it revealed most of the mattresses spread across the floor.
Trying to sleep in this place was challenging enough without having Hawk’s body draped protectively around mine. The last thing I should be thinking about in this stifling building was sex, but my body pleaded with me to roll over and take him inside me. I was almost to the point where I didn’t care who saw us, but while sex in a public place sounded like fun, sex with others watching did not.
Plus, there was the possibility a half-man, half-bull monster could show up and wreak havoc any second now. That was enough to tamp down my growing desire even as Hawk’s fingers slid through mine and he gripped my hand.
Someone coughed in the shadows, and a sob came from somewhere to my right. I almost threw aside the blanket and bolted to my feet. I couldn’t take the oppression of this place or the hopelessness of these people anymore. Instead, I burrowed closer to Hawk and tried to shut out the despair enshrouding the building.
His lips nuzzled my cheek as he cradled me against him. Locked in his arms, I didn’t feel as overwhelmed or sad and melted against him. And then, I felt the faintest vibrations in the floor.
I held my breath as I waited to see if something would follow it, but I didn’t sense anything else. I was starting to relax when I felt it again and, behind me, some books rattled on a shelf. Someone cried out, and the sobs became louder as the next vibration caused the metal in the pile of weapons to click.
I realized the vibrations were the steps of the minotaur when the next one caused the light fixture overhead to sway. The next step rattled the glass in the windows. Through the shadows, I saw people sitting up on their mattresses before pushing themselves to their feet. Something about the resignation encasing them caused sorrow to rise in me.
They were already so defeated. I hadn’t let myself think about what would happen when the minotaur arrived, but no matter what, I would not let myself accept the inevitable fate they’d chosen.
Kiss of Death: Hell on Earth Series, Book 3 Page 18